Going Up!

Written by Muhammad Omar Iftikhar • August 2011

In ancient times, the lever and pulley system was used to lift heavy objects from the ground. Humans too were transported in the same manner but not on a large scale. As the concrete jungle grew around the world, giving way to the construction of high-rise buildings and skyscrapers, staircases became a nuisance, as climbing multiple floors became tiresome and time consuming. This is when Elisha Graves Otis came into the limelight, the founder of the Otis Elevator Company. In 1854, he devised the safety equipment for elevators which prevented them from falling in case the cables supporting them broke.

These devices, also known as ‘lifts’, slowly spread across the globe. In the subcontinent, elevators were introduced by the British and installed in buildings and apartment complexes. Interestingly, these old elevators, some as old as a hundred years and quite primitive in design, are still functioning quite efficiently in the larger cities of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. They have cages and doors that are actually steel grills. The doors are opened and closed manually. Some are maintained quite immaculately and move smoothly while others have interiors that are quite creepy but they do their job.

In some parts of Karachi, where the British form of architecture prevails, such elevators are still functional but are becoming difficult to use and maintain. The floor buttons on these creaky contraptions have faded after use over such a long period, carpets and floor paddings have become worn out and ceilings are almost falling down. Sometimes, the experience of getting into such elevators can be quite an eerie one. As soon as one steps in, the elevator jerks and heaves a bit and your first thought is whether the pulleys are strong enough to take you to the desired floor. The second jolt comes when the elevator actually begins to move and one can feel the force of gravity acting on your body - but they still carry on regardless.

Over the past decades, as the city of Karachi has gone through a massive transformation in terms of new building techniques and trends, elevators too have kept up with modern needs. With the corporate environment becoming more refined and new avenues of business opening up, there is a greater need for corporate sophistication where the latest in custom-designed exteriors and facilities are as important as interiors, and this obviously includes elevators.

Many of the people using the new generation of elevators would have memories they cannot forget, especially if there are power breakdowns during use. One such experience was shared by Humera Fatima, a resident of Clifton, Karachi. This is her experience which she shared, “I once had this terrible experience which every elevator user fears - getting trapped inside. My apartment was on the third floor and I had just entered the elevator when power broke down. The elevator got stuck between the 2nd and 3rd floor. We were three people in there and we started banging the door. The tenants on the 2nd floor called the guard who had the keys to the elevator doors. The cabin was stuck in such a way that if the door was opened from the 3rd floor, we needed to be pulled up in order to get out and if the door was opened from the 2nd floor, we had to jump below, which was dangerous. After many much discussion, a stepping stool was lowered for us. One by one we climbed on the stool and were pulled out by the guard.” Humera vowed never to use the elevator again unless absolutely necessary.

A few days ago I used an elevator in an apartment building in Karachi. As soon as the doors opened, I was greeted by a thick steel pole which was placed right in the middle of the elevator; the same kind which is placed inside public transport buses. I was quite amazed to see it as I had never seen such a contraption in an elevator before. The second surprise was the bracket fan which was placed on the ceiling of the elevator. I wonder why people would use a fan when the usage time inside the lift is so brief. I guess it’ part of the contingency plan - in the event the elevator gets stuck, passengers would at least they have some air to breathe.